City got first doctor in 1853

Crescent City's first reported medical doctor arrived in 1853, after serving as a physician to a wagon train that traveled from Missouri.

Edgar Mason would also hold the title of court judge.

Mason chaired a meeting to set a trial for three Indian men accused of murdering a white man in 1854, according to A.J. Bledsoe's "History of Del Norte County." A jury deliberated for an hour and ordered the three men hanged near Battery Point.

He acquired quite a bit of land in Crescent City, giving parcels for a school house, civic center and a masonic temple, as well as two blocks for a city plaza.

During the Civil War, Mason sent money to the Confederacy and the family lamented President Lincoln's election, according to Marin County Free Library's history project.

Mason presided over a public vote in Crescent City on whether or not to enforce a law that prevented businesses from operating on Sundays, according to Bledsoe's book. Proponents of the measure distributed petitions, as bars and other businesses racked up fines for staying open. The public voted the measure down, letting businesses operate on Sundays.